The present invention relates generally to cultivator sweeps, and more particularly to a novel cultivator sweep or shovel having one or more generally forwardly projecting weed cutting points which prevent weeds in the path of the sweep from slipping past the sweep without being severed.
Cultivating has long been an effective and efficient method for killing weeds during crop growth. Soil or ground working cultivators generally employ one or more shanks or tines supported in depending relation from a frame adapted for attachment to the rear of a tractor or the like. The shanks have sweeps attached to lower free ends such that the sweeps penetrate and break up the soil when drawn in a forward direction. A conventional cultivator sweep takes the form of an arrowhead shaped body having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined flange or tongue centrally of the sweep to facilitate attachment to a shank. The sweep body has a convex upper surface and rearwardly diverging edges which are preferably sharpened and lie in a generally horizontal plane during soil working. As the sweep is drawn through the soil, it breaks up the hardened soil with an upward heaving action, and the sharpened diverging edges are also intended to cut weeds and other undesirable growth in the path of the sweep.
A significant problem with conventional sweeps is that weeds may slip past the cutting edges of the sweep without being severed. Attempts have been made to overcome this problem by forming generally right-angle wings on conventional arrowhead shaped sweeps. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,648,843 and 4,583,599. A drawback in the sweeps disclosed in these patents is that the wing portions add significantly to the force required to pull or draw the sweeps through the soil, and do not fully assure that weed stalks will be severed. The present invention provides a novel sweep or shovel which, in its various embodiments, effects more efficient cutting of weeds in the path of the sweep with minimal increase in force required to draw the sweep through the soil.